House, Senate Races to Watch

In Florida:
Rep. Tom Feeney skipped the Republican National Convention, and challenger Suzanne
Kosmas says he was scared to emphasize his association with the party in
power. Repeatedly tied to Jack Abramoff,
Feeney has been known as the "Reaganest Republican" and has been out-fundraised
by Kosmas, a former state representative. Kosmas supports abortion rights; Feeney does not.

In North Carolina,
state Sen. Kay Hagan is punching hard at Sen. Elizabeth Dole, attempting to
connect her to President Bush and national issues on which the Republicans are
weak. That strategy suggests to North
Carolina Republican Party Chairwoman Linda Daves, that is "a demonstration of
her lack of experience. It yells out, ‘I don’t understand the people of North Carolina.’" Hagan has significant backing from MoveOn.org
and EMILY’s List.

In past elections, a Democratic candidate from Colorado‘s
rural 4th District might have been nervous about holding a wine-and-cheese
party event at an art show in downtown Denver.

But Betsy Markey did it the other day – and she invited a reporter to come
along.

Call it a sign of confidence.

Incumbent Rep. Marilyn Musgrave has been known as a "staunch
social conservative" who has supported parental notification laws and has
fought to pass a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between
a man and a woman. A SurveyUSA poll last
month found Markey leading Musgrave by seven points. Markey has also been supported by EMILY’s List.